Trump Card
by Wile
Summary: How I would have liked the final scene between Buffy and Giles end in Buffy vs. Dracula. A little bit of humour, romance, and angst thrown in for good measure.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A/N: I always felt like there should have been more at the end of "Buffy vs. Dracula." Here's my take, with a B/G spin of course. Italics are direct quotes from the episode.

: P

_"I'm scared. I know it's going to be hard. And I can't do it…without you. I need you to be my Watcher again. Boy, I just—just keep talking don't I? You had something you wanted to say."_

_"No. It's nothing."_

Except it hadn't been nothing. It had been something. He was going to leave her. Now he couldn't. He wouldn't. She had just confessed need, desire, want even, of his furthered presence in her life.

"Oh, come on Giles. It had to be something or I wouldn't have warranted cookies." Buffy picked one up and nibbled on it. Giles sipped his tea and pondered over his next words.

"Buffy, I, um, I don't quite know how to say this without it coming off a bit, um, harsh perhaps? That's not quite it, but, um, first of all, I would like you to know, I'm not going anywhere. It's rather, um, flattering to-to be asked to be your, uh, your Watcher again."

"But?" She had eaten the cookie and was eyeing another one. She resisted the urge because he was stuttering and stuttering meant Giles was nervous. And when Giles was nervous, well, it was either something incredibly profound or something of extreme importance to her and her well-being.

Giles watched her and wondered what her thought process was. He already knew what he was going to say. There really only was one way to say it. He just took the moment to watch the gears turn in Buffy's head and marvel at how little he knew in regards to how her brain worked sometimes. "I was preparing to return to England, actually, um…"

"What?" Her eyes were wide. She was quite obviously distraught.

Giles placed a hand on her shoulder. "I assure you, I'm not going anywhere. I just, I was feeling a bit, um, well, useless." She was still staring at him incredulously. "Buffy, did you hear anything I just said?"

She nodded. "Uh huh, and how could you?" Buffy rose to her feet and paced in front of the coffee table three times then stopped. "Giles, you said you wouldn't leave." Buffy was well aware she had entered whining mode, but it only seemed fair given his revelation.

"I know, and I do apologize, but that doesn't matter right now." Even Giles was astonished by his own feeling of calm given the situation. "I'm staying as your Watcher, Buffy, I promise. And I shan't leave you."

"Ever?" Buffy looked at him hopefully.

"Ever, yes." Giles motioned for her to sit, which she did.

"Oh, good. I'd hate to get you back and then lose you again. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

"It's quite all right. It was well deserved, I think. Are you-you sure you wouldn't like any, uh, any tea?" He rose to refill the teapot for himself.

"No, I'm good." She thought about it a moment. "Actually, yes, I would." Buffy was still unsure how to deal with the news that Giles was in preparation to leave her. Her brain wasn't quite handling it well on top of the whole Dracula incident. It certainly had put everything in perspective for her, especially with Giles. And then there was that familiar feeling she'd kept repressing. It reared its ugly head again when Giles said he had considered leaving. It was, if she were willing to just accept it, her trump card in getting him to stay, assuming he felt the same, of course.

Giles returned with a fresh pot moments later. "Buffy, are you all right? You look a little pale?"

"I'm fine." It was Giles turn to look at her incredulously. He worried about her enough as it was and she had gone awfully pale in the last few moments. He hadn't realized his leaving, or almost leaving as it were, would distress her that much. It distressed him to think about it, especially in regard to those feelings he'd been repressing for the last year or so. It all started around the time of Prom, or was it Homecoming? He couldn't remember, but it wasn't important to place a date on it. Giles just knew he felt guilty for those feelings and they were probably a factor in his decision to leave. As much as he liked Riley after everything, he still felt a pang every time Buffy was with the former Initiative Commando.

"You sure?" Buffy nodded. They sat with their tea in silence for several minutes. "Buffy, there is perhaps one other thing I should tell you while we're clearing the air as it were."

"Okay." She avoided looking at him at first, instead keeping her gaze on the cookie that was disintegrating into her tea.

"I, um, well, this isn't meant to change our relationship. I just, I feel like I need to explain myself in part." He waited to see if she would respond. When he didn't continue, she looked up. Giles met her gaze despite the effort it required given what he was about to confess. He did, however, need her to know that what he was saying was the truth, and she always did read his eyes well. "Beyond the fact that I felt you've been doing well these past few months and have little need for me, my choice was, I'm sure on a subconscious level due to my feelings for you." Buffy seemed about to speak, but Giles pushed forward. "Please, I need to finish this. Buffy, I know it's not my place to even consider you in such a way after what Travers was so keen to point out, but I do love you and probably not in the way I should. I believe you are a beautiful, strong willed, independent woman who deserves nothing but the best in life. I am by no means saying I'm the best match for you or that Riley is or isn't, but I cannot simply deny the fact that I love you and not like a father loves a daughter."

Buffy expected him to continue but he stopped and looked away. Giles set his tea down and started to pace where she had paced earlier. Buffy sat in shock for a few moments letting that information sink in. "Giles, please sit," she whispered. She set the cookie filled teacup on the table as Giles returned to his seat on the couch. He kept his distance until Buffy indicated she wanted him to look at her. "I-I don't really know what to say, Giles. It's a surprise, but not a bad one." He met her eyes after that admission. "I mean, you-you're an attractive guy and, I mean, you've got that whole British librarian thing going on which is really, um, can't believe I'm about to say this," Buffy looked down at her hands, "sexy." Giles eyes went wide. "Yeah, crazy, I know. The Slayer's got the hots for her Watcher." Buffy looked up again giving him a shy smile. It was Giles turn for shock. "Um, yeah, I guess the only way to say it is that I love you too, Rupert Giles, and not like a daughter loves a father."

They stared at each other a moment, caught up in the realization that they'd been keeping that a secret for so long. In the end, Buffy broke the silence. "I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of those Vamp-bitches. I mean, they tried to get all intimate with my Watcher."

Giles cracked a smile. "And I'm a bit jealous of Dracula. He did get a bit intimate with my Slayer." Buffy slid toward Giles on the couch. He removed his glasses, setting them on the coffee table, and then embraced Buffy for a good five minutes. He head rested on his chest. "Um, Buffy," Giles said, " I hate to break the moment, but, um what about Riley? You did kind of, erm, promise you were 'his girl' if I remember properly."

Buffy pushed herself up and rolled her eyes at Giles playfully. In a more serious tone of voice she said, "I'd forgotten about that. Gi-Rupert, what am I going to do? I really like Riley, I just can't break it off now, can I?"

Giles replaced his glasses upon his face. "Buffy, you must tell him the truth. He'll be hurt, but he'll, uh, he'll come around eventually, I'm sure. You're only cheating yourself the longer you draw it out."

Buffy sighed. "You're right. It just seems so hard, now that I think about it. I can see the look he'll give me and everything. I feel like such a cheater. I _am_ a cheater." Buffy winced. "I'm horrible, aren't I, Rupert?"

Giles smiled at the use of his first name again. He wondered how often she had practiced that. She frowned at him though so he neutralized his expression. "Well, technically, you've not cheated yet. I've not even kissed you, just expressed my undying love for you. And as long as you're following your heart, everything shall be all right."

That was one of the things she loved about Giles most: his ability to rationalize things, or blow them out of proportion depending on the circumstances. But he was always right there with her. "Well, if you put it that way… I still feel like I'm cheating someone though."

"If you'd like, I could—"

"No, it's okay. I have to tell him by myself. You're liable to get hit in the head or something anyway. Riley'll probably think you're taking advantage or something."

"Far from it, Luv," Giles whispered.

Buffy smiled. "Don't go anywhere, okay? I'm going to go find my soon to be ex boyfriend, and then after that, you get to kiss me." She rose to her feet.

"Oh, do I? Well, it's my lucky day then, isn't it?" Giles teased.

Buffy rolled her eyes again, then frowned deeply again. "It is okay to kiss you right after I've broken up with my boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend?" Buffy's brow furrowed in thought. "Whatever. I can kiss you after I break up with Riley, right?" Giles nodded. "It won't be cheating or anything, right?"

Giles got to his own feet, walked to Buffy and took her in his arms. He planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I assure you, Buffy dearest, you won't be cheating anyone but yourself if you don't kiss me after you break up with Riley."

Buffy reveled in his embrace then sighed contentedly. "Okay, but still don't go anywhere. I don't want you running back to England without me." She removed herself from the comfort of his arms.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Giles said as Buffy walked out the door.

The End


End file.
